@PorscheF1 I think the key is the drivers, give Alonso and Button a semi-decent car and they will score points most weekends. Plus the law of diminishing returns – Honda should be able to find bigger gains.

Thanks @MazdaChris. My expectation is broadly the same as yours. However, I would have thought that once you have run an engine on the track at a GP weekend, then you cannot make any changes (apart from the standard proviso about replacing identical parts for safety reasons).

If this is correct, then the four engines that teams use over the season would be materially different, perhaps with significant performance differences between early- and late-seasons (presumably, in that scenario, the early-season version would only be used in practice sessions once the newer versions arrive).

I believe that at the end of the season the teams will formally need to homologate their engine (or by 31 December 2015) in order to meet the (new) literal interpretation of the rules.

Then presumably this process repeats again in 2016, unless they agree to a change in the wording of the regulations.

Based on the new quotes from Charlie Whiting in the new BBC article below, it sounds like manufacturers can deploy the 32 tokens in phases.

For example, they may use 20 tokens prior to the Australian GP, then another 12 at later point(s).

For me, this still leaves one question unanswered:
– What happens to ‘older’ versions of the engine if new components are introduced mid season?
– For example, if a new version is introduced at the Chinese GP, does that mean (i) the Australian GP engine can no longer be used, (ii) the older engine can be used alongside the newer engine or (iii) the older engine can be upgraded to include the newer parts

Why the FIA are unable to provide a written explanation of the new rule (or better yet, the rule itself) on their website is beyond me.

I plugged in F1 2012 last night along with wheels/pedals and turned all assists off to see how it compares. Overall, I was very impressed by how similar the handling was (which, in fairness, people like Anthony Davidson has been saying for a while – although he’s on the payroll so I was initially suspicious). The main difference is the physicality, as my wheel doesn’t have force feedback or anything to replicate some of the g-forces – but that’s not something Codemasters have control over so I give them a lot more credit now for building a pretty realistic handling model.

I also have rFactor which has a slightly looser handling model. rFactor F1 cars have noticeably less grip in the high speed corners compared to the Ferrari sim (and F1 2012). I know lots of hard work goes into rFactor and the mods, but I can’t help but feel that in their desire to be super-realistic they have gone too far and increased difficulty to the extent that grip levels are not representative.